A conventional home-use solar power system for heating water by solar energy is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The solar system generally includes a frame 92 which is fixedly connected to the top of a house and two solar panels 90 are supported on frame 92 with a tank 91 mounted to the higher end of the two solar panels 90. Each of solar panels 90 includes a heat absorber plate 900 and a plurality of supply pipes 901 and return pipes 903, respectively connected to the two ends of the heat absorber plate 900. Between the supply pipe 901 and the return pipe 903, a plurality of collector tubes 902 are connected so that cold water enters from supply pipe 902 and is heated during passage through the collector tubes 902, flows to tank 91, and is ready for use. The solar panels 90 each have a large size so that the frame 92 has to be large enough to support solar panels 90, and both the frame 92 and the solar panels 90 are so heavy that it is difficult to move them up to the top of the house. Furthermore, the pipes 901, 903 and the tubes 902 are connected with each other by soldering so that when one of the pipes 901, 903 of tubes 902 are broken, it is impossible to change just a single pipe. FIG. 13 shows another type of conventional solar power system which is only available for a house located in the proper orientation. That is, the angle of the solar panels 90 on the top of the house makes most of the sunshine on the solar panels 90. All of the inherent shortcomings in the solar power system shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 still exist.
The present invention provides a solar powered heating system which can be conveniently assembled by a connecting means so that the users may assemble the concentrating solar collectors according to their needs. The concentrating solar collector of the present invention has a compact size and is suitable to be assembled by the user himself.